US citizen sentenced to life in Mexican prison

A man who Mexican authorities say is a U.S. citizen was sentenced to life in prison this week after being found guilty of extorting a hotel owner in Juárez two years ago, according to the Chihuahua Attorney General's office.

On Wednesday, a state court found Adrian Molina, 30, guilty of aggravated extortion and immediately after sentenced him to life imprisonment in Mexico, said Arturo Sandoval, a spokesperson for the state attorney general's office.

In Chihuahua extortion is a felony.

In 2010, the punishment for this type of crime was increased to life in prison.

Sandoval said Molina, also known as "El Nan," is a U.S. citizen, but did not clarify if he lived in the United States at the time of his arrest.

His hometown in the U.S. was not identified.

Molina has been at the Juárez jail since Sep. 20, 2011, when he got arrested on extortion charges.

According to the state attorney general's office, Molina had been extorting a hotel owner and was demanding "a quota" or a cash fee. Molina called the business owner several times in September, police said.

The victim agreed to pay Molina $560 on Sept. 13, 2011. The next day the owner paid Molina $3,000 -- meeting him at a shopping mall parking lot in Juárez.

According to police, Molina told the owner he would kill him if he didn't pay.

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Anti-extortion state investigators reportedly set up a surveillance operation at the same parking lot on Sep. 20, 2011, when the victim was going to pay Molina for the third time. This time the "quota" was $480. Molina was arrested as he was receiving the money, officials said.

Lorena Figueroa may be reached at lfigueroa@elpasotimes.com; 546-6129.